Lies

I've said it a million times: There's a slippery slope between hyperbole and telling lies for dramatic effect, passing them off as truth. Some people just can't stop themselves. Prone to heavily indulging in hyperbole, I've teetered perilously close to the lies for dramatic effect and passing them off as truth precipice frequently but have managed to stave it off with thanks to those around me who've unfortunately made the folly of it glaringly clear.

Don't. Just don't. You don't need to. I don't need to. All of us have to lie sometimes. Being inappropriately direct can be hurtful to others; and all of us exaggerate on occasion, but there is just no need to lie about stupid stuff that doesn't need lyin' about for any good reason, just because it's your programmed default, your practiced act, your shame-riddled reflex, my shame-riddled reflex, our shame-riddled reflex.

Please.

It's all about the reveal

CBS News Sunday Morning was exceptional today and included interviews with Michael Keaton in advance of the release of his new, highly-touted film, "Birdman" and recent signing phenom, Sam Smith. I recommend the Keaton interview online and can't wait to see his new movie, but I'm here to talk about the Sam Smith interview.

It's been my observation that success in writing of all kinds generally stems from emotional honesty, a willingness to reveal oneself without regard for embarrassing oneself or anyone else, and that this is true whether your an essayist, a novelist, a poet, or a songwriter.

I loved what Smith said in Anthony Mason's interview this morning.

Smith: I told all my secrets on that album, my deepest and darkest secrets. I’m a very open person… to me, the things that I’ve always kept hidden were the fact that I was a bit lonely and the fact that maybe I loved someone and they didn’t love me back, and when I decided to tell the entire world that and record my record “In The Lonely Hour” – which I just didn’t think through – I didn’t realize how much I was revealing…

Mason [overdubbed]: It’s not just his voice; it’s his vulnerability that has made Sam Smith a star.

Mason: Part of your success is that you have shown all of yourself.

Smith: Yeah. I know. Hearing whole entire rooms sing back to me, “I guess it’s true, I’m not good at one-night stands.” I can’t explain the feeling. It’s unreal. You feel like you’ve just read your diary to thousands of people and they’ve gone, “It’s okay; we still love you.” 

It reminded me of Lamar White's Ashley Award acceptance speech (@cenlamar on Twitter) at Rising Tide 7 in New Orleans  (9/22/2012 - White starts at 5:00, this is at ~7:15):

These are the principals that guide my blogging and my advocacy:

Write fearlessly...[she taught me that] writing could be empowering, but in order to be empowered you must allow yourself to become vulnerable. Sometimes that means sharing things that could be painful or embarrassing, but they're important... The only way you can really reach an audience is if you expose yourself to some vulnerability, and in doing so you become empowered. Vulnerability can be empowering. 

It sounds so easy, but it's something I've never been able to do. I start and it always gets a little traction; so I pull back. It's fear, but not a completely terrible type of fearfulness. I suppose the secret is to let go of worrying you might rock the boat and embrace it.

Grimm by a mile

Tonight, I won't be DVRing "Once Upon A Time" for the first time since the show debuted. I was vested in the original cast and story, but every time they pull another set of Disney movie characters out of the vault, I become less so. Now it seems to have completely devolved into a long-running Disney ad.

It's a shame because the show had promise. When it's first season ran parallel with "Grimm" the shows both looked interesting, even equally so. It didn't take me long to favor the originality and self-deprecating humor of "Grimm" in Portland over the fairly predictable and overly commercial action in Storybrook, or Never Never Land; and now that I know they're "Frozen" I just can't bear to watch. I can at least hope for the sake of those who do watch that they won't also have to listen to that dreadfully overplayed song. Perhaps they should take their own advice and let it go. They don't merit the prime DVR bandwidth in the highly-competitive, it's a marathon not a sprint, landscape that is Sunday night television.

So, I'll wait, seriously looking forward to finding out what mythological complications, quirky reactions to awkwardly delivered spells, and unpronounceable Germanic words those wildly creative folks in Portland have in store for us this coming season. "Once Upon a Time" is simply not in the same league.